Microsoft and Toyota to bring Cloud telematics to the car

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Microsoft and Toyota have announced they will partner together to allow Toyota to build a global cloud platform that will update in car telematics in Toyota hybrids and plug-in vehicles, starting in 2012.

“As the car increasingly becomes the ultimate mobile device for consumers, telematics technologies can allow drivers to start their cars remotely, turn on their AC from a cell phone, check systems within the car and much more,” say the companies in a statement.

The two companies aim to help develop and deploy telematics applications on the Windows Azure platform, which includes Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure.

Toyota is already conducting trials in Japan of its Toyota Smart Center pilot program, which plans to link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption. It believes that, as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles become more popular, such systems will rely more on telematics services for achieving efficient energy management. Microsoft perhaps seeing this trend also, clearly hopes to jump on the next technological wave as it happens.

Toyota’s goal is to establish a complete global cloud platform by 2015 that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customers around the world, it says.